Congolese church leaders demand answers to election irregularities and fraud

By Fredrick Nzwili

(OSV News) -- Amid rising tensions, Catholic bishops and Protestant leaders in Congo called for a peaceful resolution of election-related disputes, while deploring the violence and irregularities observed during the process.

The central African country -- the size of Western Europe -- went to the polls Dec.20 to elect a president, national legislators, provincial assemblies and local councilors.

The polls' outcome is considered crucial for the peace and stability of the mineral rich country. However, a recent rise in hate speech and incitement to violence has drawn serious concerns in the local and international circles.

"We strongly condemn the violence, both verbal and physical, observed throughout this process. We ask the Prosecutor General of the Republic … to open legal proceedings against all perpetrators of the acts of violations and electoral fraud," Archbishop Marcel Utembi Tapa of Kisangani, president of Congo's bishops' conference, and the Rev. Andre Bokundoa-bo-Likabe, president of the Church of Christ in Congo -- a union of 62 Protestant denominations -- said in a joint statement on Jan.4.

On Jan. 9 Congo’s constitutional court upheld the results of December’s election that declared President Félix Tshisekedi the winner, rejecting a petition by an opposition candidate to annul the vote.

Tshisekedi later told his supporters in Kinshasa, the capital, that he would govern with openness, focusing on job creation, security and improvement of the economy.

The opposition rejected the results citing massive irregularities, called for annulment of the outcome and threatened protests.

"We call on our people, as soon as the electoral fraud is proclaimed, to protest massively in the streets," Martin Fayulu, one of presidential candidates, told journalists Dec. 31.

Church leaders called for investigations into the irregularities and fraud observed during the polling process and for the publishing of the voter register to prove electoral sincerity and "restore the pride of the nation."

The December election, according to observers, was plagued by numerous logistical issues. In several regions, the voting process had to be extended to an unforeseen second day; almost two thirds of polling places opened late.

Before they could cast their ballots, "millions of people had to wait for hours," a local news outlet reported, saying that "many went home after giving up." The election commission declared that 82 candidates had to be disqualified because they had engaged in fraud, corruption, acts of equipment vandalism and violence directed towards voters and election officials.

Meanwhile, the mounting post-election tensions in Congo are setting a stage for a political standoff. Elections in the nation have a long history of electoral misconduct, following decades of autocratic rule under Mobutu Sese Seko. Allegations of electoral fraud and irregularities also marred subsequent democratic elections between 1997 and 2018.

Church leaders and analysts fear the incitement may mean more violence in parts of Congo, especially the North and South Kivu provinces and Ituri region, where rebel violence and ethnic killing have occurred for decades.

Volker Türk, the U.N High Commissioner for Human Rights has also expressed concern over the rise in ethnic-based hate speech and incitement to violence in the country.

"Hateful, dehumanizing and inciteful rhetoric is abhorrent and can only deepen tension and violence in DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo, or Congo) itself, as well as putting security at risk," said the official in a Jan. 7 statement.

The churches had deployed a combined 60,000-strong election observation mission -- the country's largest ever -- to monitor the polls.

Its data showed that over 27% of the polling stations did not open at all and cataloged numerous instances of malpractice such as 45% of voting machines malfunctioning.

About 43% of the 44 million registered voters turned out to vote. The church leaders saluted the people for mobilizing to vote. They also hailed the electoral commission and the government's efforts in organizing the elections, despite the difficult socioeconomic, political and security situations.

"This highly symbolic civic gesture proves sufficiency that the Congolese people have reached a maturity, which can no longer allow political manipulation or the imposition of fraud," said the church leaders.